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June 11, 2004

Fuzzy Math. "The State Department acknowledged Thursday that it was wrong in reporting that terrorism declined worldwide last year, a finding the Bush administration had pointed to as evidence of its success in countering terror. Instead, the number of incidents and the toll in victims increased sharply ..." ... Larry C. Johnson, a former CIA analyst and former deputy director of State's counterterrorism office, on the compiling errors: "Even a third-grader could have found this."

Washington Post, June 11: "US intelligence personnel ordered military dog handlers at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq to use unmuzzled dogs to frighten and intimidate detainees ... a plan approved by the highest-ranking military intelligence officer at the facility ... two dog handlers at Abu Ghraib were 'having a contest' to see how many detainees they could make involuntarily urinate out of fear ..."

And: The March 6, 2003 report from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel stated that, in detaining al Qaeda and Taliban members, the US was not bound by prohibitions against torture in the Geneva Conventions. Asked whether he has seen the memos, Bush replied, 'I can't remember if I've seen the memo or not.'"